Beauty '09
by SS-HPFC
Summary: She loved him, god knows how bloody much she did, but their age made herhesitant about it. Sometimes, though, when he acted like he did, she couldn'thelp but feel as though age is nothing but a number. And that he was a jerk." For cool Indy-x.


_For the lovely Indy, who is awesome to no end. I hope you enjoy this quick ficlet, sweet, green Kiwi from the other side of the world. Merry Christmas! =D_

**Grim and Old? Dude, it's Christmas.**

Hermione Granger was a lucky girl; she had a nice family, great friends who blew her mind away and diminished her patience to a thin, trembling thread, a temperament as strong as iron and with an excellent control over her mind and body, always sure of her own self or abilities and ready to prove herself right.

That is, until now. There were several things she was sure of at the moment, and they weren't really all that pretty.

Her parents were skiing in some random mountains in the other side of the country, if not world, blissfully unaware and far away from their daughter's desperate will to run away; Her friends were laughing their eyeballs off at a joke pulled _on_ her; Her temperament was being cut down like a block of melting, sticky cheese over a bonfire in a volcano some random pyromaniac had the intelligent idea of doing at lunch break; Her mind was running wild and loose enough to compete with a competition car with too much oil, and her body was shaking more violently than the most troubled dudes of the world being caught smoking weed by their grandmothers who were randomly jumping around in their grandkids' longskates quite happily.

But worst of all; Hermione Granger was starting to lose control over her own actions, and had a tight grip over a stick that was ready and set to kill in that moment. Or at least nearly.

Wonder what happened to make such a sudden, mind blowing exchange in behaviour that could send a gigantic Dragon fly away in fear like a mosquito?

It's the grinning man's fault.

Never in her entire life and wildest dreams did Hermione Granger think she would be ever be this close to strangle someone, especially someone her best friend loved dearly, like a chicken.

"Well, aren't you going to say anything, darling?" Asked the grinning man they called Sirius Black.

"DIE!!!!" Hermione declared, a rage so grand it would _burn ashes_ in the spot.

If there was one thing Sirius Black knew and was proud of, it was his love for himself. And with said love yelling so loudly in his mind to run far, far away, run into safe safety, the man ran for his life as a mad teenager (who he decided to label as fangirl) tried to chase him down, unfortunately succeeding by pinning him to a wall.

"HAH! GOT YOU!" Hermione yelled in triumph, the extent of her madness showing as she started stating the obvious. "Now you are going to suffer the consequences of your actions."

"Well, Hermione my dear, aren't we quite close enough?" Asked Sirius in a low voice, a teasing tone to it and a loose smile to join as the girl blushed crimson red, grinning wider as he gathered her in his arms and hugged her, dazzling her more as he kissed her cheek.

"Maybe a bit too close, perhaps." She said awkwardly, momentarily distracted from her original objective and freeing herself from his arms, her heart mysteriously racing and clueless to the mischievous glint in his eyes and the paper in her back.

"Well, then, maybe we should head back to the tree?" He replied, holding back a grin and starting to head back, leaving her in the room. "They must be waiting."

*******

A while before, the beginning of the tragedy…

"Ok, are you ready then?" A voice whispered, laughter decorating its soft tone as the owner eyed the girl entering the room.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Whispered another one, a grin matching the first boy's.

"Ok then, at three." Whispered a smirking third one, surprising the other two of its source.

"What the – Sir-" Started the first one.

"One, two, three!" Said the last one, getting up and running with the other two by his sides to the lone figure staring up at the tree with her back to them, man tackling her up in their shoulders and starting to sing "Jingle Bells" whilst putting a Santa hat on her head and running around the house with her still away from the floor.

"Put me down!" Said Hermione, looking at the three attackers, only making them laugh more. "Put me down now!"

"Why would we do that, sweetie pie?" Asked George, a smile upon his face as he looked at the angry girl.

"Yeah, it's not like we're going to drop you like that." Said Fred, a smile just like his brother's forming in his lips.

"And it's not like I'm ever going to let you fall." Said Sirius, a wild grin on his face. "That would just ruin your hat."

"And anyways, it's Christmas, lighten up!" Said Fred.

"Put. Me. Down." She demanded, a glare forming in her face, only to turn to a horrified look as a bell rang and a scream was heard from the stairs.

"Mother!" Sirius said, leaving Hermione's legs in the shoulders of the twins and running up to pull down the curtains before she woke every portrait on earth and beyond. "There she goes." He said, going back and grabbing Hermione's legs again, leading them all around the house still signing Christmas Carols as though nothing happened, much to Hermione's dismay.

"Well, well, well, I wouldn't have thought this of you, miss Granger." Drawled a low voice from the hallway as they went by it. "I'm afraid I cannot say the same about you, Black."

"Go away Snivellus, you're ruining the fun." Black replied, a sneer on his face before he started grinning. "I should have known though; you can't keep your greasy nose from ruining all the joy we have with the cute girls. Then again, it's not like you ever had a chance with one."

Before anyone knew what was happening, Sirius was doubling in pain, grabbing his stomach and Severus Snape was swiftly sending one hex after another, like a duck batting his wings to fly.

"Stop!" Yelled Harry, grabbing his wand, but before he could do anything, George already had his on his hand and petrified a livid Snape.

"Serves him right…" Said Sirius breathily, getting up and kicking the Potions Master in the ribs. "Stay away, son of a banshee."

"Sirius!" Hermione said, a shocked look on her face. "Why on earth did you do that?!"

"Nobody messes with the fun I have with my girl and gets away with it!"

"_Your_ girl?" She asked, her look darkening. "I am nobody's girl, Sirius, and I'm certainly not yours."

"Oh really?" He grinned, walking closer and making her grow hesitant before speaking in a low voice, almost a whisper, but everyone could hear. "I would have thought the opposite, taking in your words when you were dreaming about me last night…"

*******

_And that's how it started. Back to the present…_

Coming back to her senses, ten minutes and forty-six seconds later, Hermione went back to the Living room where everyone was having fun by the fire, laughing at the twins' jokes. Sirius' smile was the most spectacular of them all; his face and eyes totally lit up and he had dimples on his cheeks, making him look ages younger, and not the 35 year old self he was.

And that was the only thing she thought was against them, but he would prove her otherwise with his childish ways.

"TACKLE!" Yelled Harry and Ron, going up behind her and taking her up again by their arms and running around the house.

"Will you stop that?!" Hermione yelled, glaring at her two best friends.

"The paper says otherwise." Said Ginny behind her. "'_Tackle me and don't let me down!_', it commands."

"SIRIUS!" Hermione yelled, her rage coming back full force, saying something that made everyone gasp. "GET HERE YOU BLOODY ARSEHOLE!"

"Hermione!" Harry said, shock on his voice.

"You freaking swore!" Ron said, both grinning up at her fuming figure.

"Yes, beauty?" Asked Sirius, coming into the hallway, an innocent look on his face but his grin saying otherwise. "Is anything the matter?"

"Get here you bastard, I'm going to kill you." She said, trying to break free from her friend's arms, and failing epically, giving up after a few more forceful tries that would put Arnold Schwarzenegger to shame. "If not now, then you can be sure it'll be later."

*******

On Christmas day… also known as; The next day…

"Good morning." A soft voice said, a hand reaching out to touch her face gently.

"Wha?" Hermione mumbled unaware, still high in the land of dreams, where Santa Clauses played Poker, betting with cookies, and Unicorns flew over the Rainbow in blissful amnesia, still unconscious to the reality of the world and clueless to the fact she was even speaking, so sleepy she was. "Wadda ya want? Leave me alone, I wanna sleep, you libertine."

"Beauty." Chuckled the voice. "It's Christmas. Get up, there are presents."

"'Don't wanna." She mumbled, sinking lower in her warm sheets.

"Ok then, I'll have to join you until you do." He said, opening her sheets and getting inside, laying beside her.

"Whatever, as long as you let me sleep." Hermione said, unconsciously laying her head on his shoulder, her hand over his heart.

If she were more awake - or awake at all, that is - she would have noticed how her little figure fit perfectly beside his, and how his heart, her hand over it, started beating faster and felt lighter than ever, a warm feeling filling it as the owner smiled, a smile free from mischief or tease, only pure and genuine, before closing his eyes in search for rest.

"I love you." Hermione mumbled dreamily, snuggling closer and falling back to sleep, a comfortable silence reigning the room again as both persons lay beside each other in the snowy morning.

"I love you too, beauty."


End file.
